Building a home is one major dream that everyone chases. I must say that this
is a universal wish that from a common man to a multi billionaire everyone
makes. Once you get the house of your dreams after going through some troubles
and overwhelming emotions, it’s time to enjoy your life peacefully in it. But
as it goes for life, there are lot of
troubles that one goes through but has an easy fix. One of the major trouble
faced by us is the leakage problem. The effect of this is felt in greater
magnitude during the winter season.
Before we realize how it happened and
find a fix to this, it sometimes worsens to a level that is unbearable for us. Water
leakage or dampness not only destabilizes the interior structure of the
building but also results in the damage of interiors including furniture and
others leading to reduced valuation of the structure.
Dampness can cause fungus formation on
the wall. It makes your wall look awkward with the greenish look in color. It
also leads to the growth of unwanted mushrooms. The dampness has adverse
effects on health of people residing in that surrounding. Sinus, skin and
respiratory infections, yeast infections, headaches, aching joints, asthma,
fatigue, loss of libido, depression and anxiety are some of the problems that
may result due to this. Along with our health, many of our belongings, our
keepsakes that were sacred to us, have been or will need to be destroyed.
They may also cause bad odor and
certain species of black molds produce mycotoxin which may have severe impact
on the human system. The dampness may also cause irritation in the nose, eyes
and throat, sinus indication and other respiratory ailments like bronchitis.
Hidden mold which can grow
in bathrooms, ceiling corners, damp patches on walls, ceiling tiles, kitchen
cabinets with leakage around it, wallpaper with a water leak on the wall behind, produces allergens and irritants. Inhaling or
touching it may therefore cause allergic reaction, such as sneezing, runny
nose, asthma attacks, red eyes and rashes. As you may not monitor the kids at
home all the time, the presence of mould should be eradicated as soon as you
spot it.
Causes of Termites and Algae:
The occurrence of termites
and algae are the indicating factors of the presence of cracks and dampness.
Ensure that you seal the cracks where you spot the termites at the earliest to
prevent them multiplying in numbers. While spraying insecticides may give you a
temporary relief of killing them, it will not be the permanent solution.
Sealing the cracks is the permanent solution.
Cracks on the exterior
walls are even more dangerous. As they are beyond our reach to be taken care of
on regular intervals, it may lead to growth of unwanted plants which may worsen
the crack further.
One must also ensure there are no gaps
in between the window frames as it may bring in lot of uninvited trouble -
water leakage from rains and mosquitoes. Ensure they are sealed and intact.
Water pipes are also one of the places
you need to look out for leakages. The leakage will happen when the iron pipe
gets rusted or through the joints. It would be good if you use PVC pipes of
high grade especially when your underground water is salty. This will last
longer when compared to iron pipes. Also fix the leakage as soon as you spot it
otherwise it may leak from inside the walls and may cause greater damage to the
walls and when it leaks through the tiles, it may worsen the looks as it seeps
out with rusty particles.
Precautionary measures:
We often tend to curate
this trouble by wiping with the cloth which is not the permanent solution. This
can be handled effectively in the following ways:
1. Do not keep wet clothes
to be dried inside the house as it could cause mould to multiply and strengthen
them. There should not be any dampness inside the house. Keep it as dry as you
can.
2. You may use air
conditioners to keep the humidity level low.
3. Having enough
ventilation inside the house and keeping the windows open during the sunny
season can effectively control the growth of the mould.
4. Ensure you do a thorough
check on the terrace to make sure that there is no water clogging after the
rains and the ducts are free from any blockade to allow the water to flow
through the drain freely.
5. Do not keep carpets on
the dampened room as it may spread the moisture causing the mould to grow
multifold.
Reasons for Water Seepage through
external walls:
There are many reasons that attributes
to this. Some of the main reasons includes:
1) Joints and Cracks in the walls
including hairline cracks.
2) Poor construction.
3) Dampness due to capillary action.
4) Honeycomb structures in concrete or
plaster and
5) Separation gaps to name among the
few.
The above can be effectively addressed
by using waterproofing systems and materials like Polymer modified
mortars/pastes and sealants, Flaring mortars, External wall coating, Injection
system with silicone materials, Impregnation system, Crystalline system to name
a few. There are many companies that provide such waterproofing solutions. Dr.
Fixit is one such which has a wide range of waterproofing solutions to cater to
various needs.
How
did it affect me?
When we built the second floor on our
old property, the engineer did not pack the walls of the exterior properly and
because of that, the wall started to leak during the rainy season and what ever
we did on the wall like painting and decoration got spoilt because of that.
I also had witnessed another trouble
when my overhead tank started to leak on its exterior. It was a new tank and
the builder had charged a bomb to construct it but due to his negligence, the
walls which were not packed properly started to leak.
It is a real horrifying and sad sight
to witness your building leak as it not only brings tears to your eyes but it
also starts leads to deterioration of your health due to dampness and other
health issues that is being caused because of this. That damp smell is another
horrifying one which cannot be explained. These also led to the occurrence of
termites and cockroaches and it was a nightmare for me until I set it right.
How
did I address these issues?
Dr.Fixit
is the answer.
All I did was to call up the experts
who arrived in no time. They analyzed my property with minute detail and gave
me the solutions to get the troubles fixed. I did as they advised, without any
second thought and my woes disappeared like snow flakes. I would also be giving
more information on what are the other common issues faced by us and how to
effectively address it.
Bathroom
Waterproofing:
Some of the common defects in the
bathroom & toilets include Crack in tiles, Rust staining, Tile debonding,
Seepage through structural joint, Leakage through porous concrete, Leakage
through floor traps etc and these can be effectively controlled by undertaking
various measures.
Image Credit: Google
Waterproofing
the roofs:
Roof is an integral part of any
building and hence due and diligent care must be taken to maintain it. We
usually do the concrete roof slab covered with Brickbat coba (BBC), Mud phuska,
China mosaic, tiles or screed to provide a slope to drain rain water but over a
period of time, cracks may develop leading the water to penetrate during the
rainy season which may result in something similar to the photo below:
Other
Products:
1) Dr. Fixit Roofseal Flex - is a two
component product, consisting of a powder component and polymer. The resultant
of the mix of these two is applied on new roofs and it forms a seamless, highly
elastic, non-toxic waterproofing layer on the roof with a life expectancy of 7
years.
2) Dr. Fixit Torchshield - is an APP based
polyester reinforced membrane, which is an easy-to-lay, torch-on membrane with
a system life expectancy of more than 5 years.
3) Dr.
Fixit Newcoat Coool - which will not only act as waterproof coat for the
roofs but also reduce the building surface temperature by 8 degrees Celsius.
4) Dr.
Fixit Bathseal Kit - must be used which is a combination of products like
Pidicrete URP, tape, mesh, grout and WPC.
5) Dr. Fixit Newcoat Ezee - an elastomeric
waterproofing coating that provides a seamless and tough waterproof barrier
with excellent crack bridging ability that can accommodate movements due to
thermal variations.
Outer
Coating of Walls:
Outer coating
of walls are always the best option. Gone are the days when we were not aware
of the technology that could make things better and enhance the life of the
building. By giving a waterproof coating outside, you can prevent the
occurrence of Algae and Fungus. There are unique waterproofing options like Dr.
Fixit Raincoat – a high performance acrylic elastomeric coating for external
walls - and Dr. Fixit Newcoat Ezee which can bear heat, humidity and rainfall
and form a layer around the construction of external walls as well as terraces.
Image Credit: Google
Dr. Fixit
Raincoat
is an elastomeric exterior waterproofing coating that can be applied on all
types of exterior masonry surfaces, cement and renderings as well as on
asbestos sheets. This serves a dual purpose of addressing Waterproofing &
Crack Bridging making it a perfect long term investment.
What makes Dr. Fixit Raincoat even more amazing is
that it offers 700 shades of colors to choose from. Now what more do we need??
Time to beautify our house isn't it? And not just that but Mr. Bachchan,
himself advises for that. Watch in the video below:
Henceforth, if you need any guidance,
tips on renovating or building a healthy home do check out The Happy Homes Blog.
Happy Reading! :-)
1 comments:
I am well acquainted with Waterproofing-Johannesburg professionals, so I rely on them to waterproof my buildings with perfectness.
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